I'm writing up a weekend report from Jerry and my South Dakota trip this weekend. I'll post some teaser pics to whet your appetite....

Uncle Ben

09-20-2010, 06:19 PM

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Uncle Ben

09-20-2010, 06:27 PM

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Snowrun

09-20-2010, 09:25 PM

Great pics. Looks like you had lots of fun.

Hulk

09-20-2010, 09:28 PM

Killer pics. Where is that giant ledge?

RLMS

09-20-2010, 10:15 PM

I love that place! Great pics, I'm assuming you had a blast?

Justin

Uncle Ben

09-20-2010, 10:38 PM

Killer pics. Where is that giant ledge?

Upper Buzzworm. No longer part of BHCC because FS wont issue a permit. There is a whole new section that goes all the way to Vanocker canyon that is just plain fun including this tricky squeeze....

Uncle Ben

09-20-2010, 11:19 PM

Originally a hard core run with a few rigs it turned into Jerry and I hauling Wild Rice to Nemo, South Dakota. We shared a room in the very historic "Boarding House" cabin (was actually the "Nemo Hotel Annex" in 1886!) with my very close friend Charlie Rupp from Rapid City. (Some might remember him from when he owned Chimney Canyon 4x4 in Rapid) Hardly a level floor in the “hotel” but dry warm and charming! We were there for an extended weekend. Going from 80+ degree temps here to 40ish and foggy there was an abrupt change! The fog changed to drizzle so we decided to jump in my (warm) tow vehicle and head down to Rapid City for a couple frosties, a bunch of laughs and the Dakota Territory Cruisers September meeting. The meeting was great and it was awesome to be among friends I just don't see often enough. After the meeting we took the long way back up to Nemo. Saturday was a tad brighter out and even though the drizzle stopped the clouds were just barely over the roof lines of the old logging city. The plan was to meet up with a few DTC'ers on their monthly trail ride. While I didn't care what trails we did, I have to admit I was a little disappointed that I probably wasn't going to work Wild Rice the way I was hoping I would......hahahaha....silly me.... The trail was "Old Trapper." It is one that’s offered at BHCC and I haven't done it before probably because the ratings were too mild. To my encouragement Charlie assured me I would not be disappointed. I've never been in the "Hills" in the fall and I can tell you I will be back! OMG! The hills were on fire and it wasn't even close to peak in the season yet! It had been 30+ years since Jerry was in the Hills any deeper than just above Sturgis so he was in absolute awe and contentment too! After meeting up with the nicely built 80 of Kent Renaud, the beautiful and nicely set up gray 4Runner of Mike Heitland and the sweet and very built CJ-7 of Kurt Gisi , Charlie in his tubed "rat" mini truck and Jerry and I in my 40 all traveled deeper down the gold carpeted trail. Once at the bottom the group turned around and pointed me in the direction of the creek bed. Charlie was behind me with Kurt in the CJ on his heels. The rocks started immediately! They were small and medium sized and look pretty tame. That would have been the case if it wasn't for the moss and the cold damp air! Try climbing a steep hill while crawling over huge blocks of ice and you might get a hint of what we faced! I let Jerry drive and enjoyed watching my truck work as Jerry had a ball picking lines and searching for traction. That section of the trail exited the bank and we were told to stay in the creek bed as we headed into a brand new section only driven once before in nice weather. The waterfalls (no water) and boulder fields were getting bigger and bigger even though the traction was getting worse and worse! Charlie didn't let me down.....that trail became exactly what I was looking for and we had our hands full working up the slick boulders! I was driving WR at this point and I was using every trick and tactic I have learned over the years! Charlie hung with me nearly all the way although due to his shorter tires a strap was needed a couple times to free him from his "turtled" state! Kurt sheared a center pin on one of his front leaf spring packs but was able to climb out to the milder trail alongside the creek bed. The last of that section was huge ledges and waterfalls then a choice of exit or 30 more vertical feet of nasty waterfall.....I took the waterfall and Charlie was just hoping he could get out the exit prior. The last nasty section kicked my butt as there was 0 traction on 4 to 5 foot boulders! I finally played soap on a rope and let the winch pull me out. The other club members were playing on obstacles I didn't see and there was not a bored face in the lot! What an awesome day with awesome people in above spectacular scenery! After some very spirited driving up the dirt roads to the main road we laughed hard with many Tim Taylor grunts and man noises and after hand shakes and promises of "next time." the club run ended and the three of us headed back to Nemo for Prime Rib night and of course enough barley soup to get it all washed down. Sunday morning awoke us with something we hadn't yet seen this weekend.........sunshine! It was a glorious day! Charlie’s son Caleb joined us in his amazing and wicked turbo Supra engine powered 2nd Gen Runner. It was supposed to be a short run so we could hit the highway around noon….. It wasn't….. but that’s OK! We played on a trail some of the older RS'ers might remember that is no longer offered at BHCC. Upper Buzzworm was an absolute blast from the past and was much tougher in many spots that it used to be! The trail has also been lengthened quite some distance with a maze of large boulders and water falls to play like little kids on!

Many more details I could go on and on about but you'll have to hear them later around campfires and/or frosties for many, many years to come! :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown: South Dakota

corsair23

09-21-2010, 12:30 AM

WR is looking great UB :thumb:

Jacket

09-21-2010, 11:05 AM

Beautiful!

Uncle Ben

09-21-2010, 11:17 AM

Beautiful!

Those who know the area also know that poison Ivy and poison Sumac is everywhere. I didn't choose to verify but supposedly the toxins are gone when the leaves start changing. I didn't get too many pics of it but both the Ivy and Sumac were beautiful! Most of the Ivy was a blaze yellowish red and the Sumac as blaze crimson. SPECTACULAR! Here is a small patch of poison Ivy that Jerry must have taken a picture of, even though this patch is mostly yellow it's still is very pretty!

The second pic is a small patch of poison Sumac....

FJBRADY

09-21-2010, 12:48 PM

Looks like you had a good time, thanks for posting the pictures. Foliage looks fantastic!

J Kimmel

09-22-2010, 07:57 AM

glad you had a good time, sorry I missed it :(

also good to hear there is lots of poison ivy and sumac, I guess...now I know to look out for it when I get there.

bh4rnnr

09-22-2010, 08:07 PM

Sounds ike you had a great time UB! Thanks for posting the pics:cool::thumb:.

I sure had a great time out there in the Black Hills a few years ago.

And for what it's worth, during the Custer years, it was thought that the gold in the Black Hills at the time, could pay off the National Debt, thus the reasoning for pushing the Lakotas of there land:blah: